Barrel Racing

The barrel pattern is fairly simple; there are three barrels set up in a triangular pattern and each rider must turn each barrel in a clover leaf pattern as fast as they can. Riders may choose to run a pattern that requires one right hand turn and two left hand turns or vice versa. The diagram below illustrates a right handed pattern, which is where the rider chooses the barrel on the right to be their first barrel. They will then move in a straight line across the pen to barrel two, where they will make a left handed turn. From there, the rider will head straight to barrel three for another left hand turn before finally sending the horse back across the timer line.